Jazz Arts Collective and Jazz Combos Concert

The Hope College Mainstream Ensemble and Jazz Arts Collective will present a lunchtime concert on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at noon in the Kletz on the ground level of the DeWitt Center.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

The Mainstream Ensemble, which is one of the jazz chamber ensembles at Hope, will perform “Strange Vibe” and “Peace,” both by Horace Silver. The ensemble is coached by Robert Hodson, professor of music and chairperson of the department. The students in the group include: junior Matt Costello of Holland, bass; junior Michael Graverson of Hamilton, guitar; junior Daniel Langholz of Ramstein, Germany, trombone; sophomore Matthew Milliken of Roscommon, alto saxophone; sophomore Andrew Valesano of Sherwood, Ore., piano; and senior David Webster of Troy, drums.

The Jazz Arts Collective will perform “Accra,” by Geoff Keezer; “Rue Prevail,” by Art Farmer; “Jodi,” by Walter Davis Jr.; “Byrdflight,” by Brian Lynch; “Al’s Mist,” by Al Grey; “Dealer Takes Four,” by Rogers Grant; “Children,” by Jack Walrath; and “Voodoo Child,” by Jimi Hendrix. The group is is directed by Brian Coyle, who is a professor of music and director of the jazz studies area at Hope.

The Jazz Chamber Ensembles afford students the opportunity to perform in the classic small group combo setting. The ensembles vary in size and instrumentation and place a creative focus on improvisation and group communication. All of the ensembles perform works from the classic jazz repertoire. The more advanced jazz chamber ensembles also perform repertoire from the contemporary jazz world. These ensembles also place an emphasis on original student and faculty compositions. All ensembles are coached by members of the Hope College jazz faculty. The Jazz Chamber Ensembles are open to anyone interested, regardless of experience with jazz.

Jazz Arts Collective is the premier large jazz ensemble at Hope College. The Collective places a creative focus on ensemble communication and improvisation. Comprised of a rhythm section and flexible wind/string instrumentation, this select group performs compositions and arrangements from across the full spectrum of music. The collective’s repertoire ranges from the great historical jazz composers such as Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, to works by modern jazz masters like Vince Mendoza, Jim McNeely and John Hollenbeck. The Jazz Arts Collective frequently performs commissions, works by emerging young composers, and originals by Hope College faculty and students. The ensemble also collectively reinterprets and re-imagines the music from the twentieth century classical repertoire.